Memorandum submitted by Shropshire Union
Canal Society
1. These comments are submitted to the committee
as a collective submission representing the views of the Society.
2. In general we consider that British Waterways
should continue to work in close partnership with the voluntary
sector (ourselves in this instance) to continue the progress of
regeneration and restoration within the canal system.
3. As a volunteer group we have had continuous
contact with British Waterways (Wales and Border Counties Region)
over the past 17 years; that contact has enabled us to establish
a positive working relationship with most of the team from the
men on the towpath to the general manager without any restriction
of access. This, we believe, is the only way to progress volunteer
input to a national organisation where our efforts and contributions
are both needed and welcomed.
4. The areas of input to the region are
Labour, Cash either from our own source or by way of external
contribution, user experience and waterway promotion by way of
organising events on the waterways. All of these inputs have at
present a calculated value of about £50.000 (Fifty thousand
pounds) at volunteer rates for approx 7000 (Seven thousand) hours
of work which, if extrapolated through to contract value amounts
to approximately £250.000 (Two hundred and fifty thousand
pounds) in the current year. This is the mechanism used to measure
our input to our waterways and, from comments received from users,
this input is visible, welcome and helps make for a user friendly
waterway for everyone.
(The figures referred to above can be ratified
by B W if required).
5. How do we as a voluntary society contribute?
Within the Society, we collate ideas of items which
are deemed to add enhancement to our waterways and process these
ideas through BW so as they become projects; these we either fund
ourselves, jointly with BW or, in most instances, seek third party.
This third way relieves the burden of cost on one source and at
the same time brings extra money into our waterway which otherwise
would not be available. We then complete planning the project,
mount a working party and bring together those volunteers who
wish to take part. We also seek funding for larger projects primarily
for the purpose of continuing the restoration of the Montgomery
Canal (England into Wales)—the original purpose of the Society.
While the speed of restoration of this canal has changed over
the past 40 years, progress is being maintained by close involvement
with our friends at British Waterways. The value of our contribution
is not calculable as for many of the early years this was not
measured but from the extensive engineering projects completed
by the volunteers along this 33 mile waterway the value runs into
millions of pounds. And so it must continue as funding and resources
permit.
6 We also have an increasing number of volunteers
who operate as a Minor tasks team. This group of 20 plus members
travel the waterways of the Shropshire Union System and where
they see that a job within their remit needs doing, they stop
and do it. This simple but flexible mechanism saves many thousands
of pounds in management, travel and employee working time. Although
only introduced in 2007, this idea is working well and is making
a significant contribution toward keeping our waterways maintained
and safe. The fourth area of contribution is with the organisation
of events designed to promote the waterways to a wider population
and to this end we organise 4 or 5 events per year.
7. From our involvement with the waterways
of our area of remit, the committee will appreciate that this
amount of practical assistance could not be undertaken without
close cooperation and a good working relationship with our colleagues
at BW (Wales and Border Counties).
8. It would be remiss of us to suggest to
the committee that all is always well and good with British Waterways
Management for that situation suggests near perfection (or complacency).
We often feel that little use is made of the considerable store
of user knowledge available through the many Volunteer Organisations
associated with the Inland Waterways. Even if only considered
in part, this could contribute to a more efficient use of cash
resources and less waste of time. There is a vast amount of practical,
professional knowledge available to British Waterways both regionally
and nationally, which is ready and able to assist the management
of BW if only they were asked. If this resource was available
to any private business, it would be welcomed with open arms and
would be channelled towards greater efficiency and profitability
and, whilst I concede that BW is not commercial business, better
use could be made of the resources available to them.
9. We feel that the limited avenues of external
income available to BW mean that the main users are always the
soft target for making up shortfalls in funding and while the
user is, I believe, prepared to pay for the use of the canals,
there is a limit as to how much can be squeezed from him/her and
continual price increases in excess of inflation and income increases
will see a drop in users and consequently BW income.
10. The funding of a national asset which,
we believe, everyone agrees the inland canals are, should be funded
in a better and fairer way whereby all those non contributory
users make a financial contribution to BW through other government
agencies or sources and not solely from DEFRA. The sustainability
of a National Asset cannot be equated with a normal commercial
business as it does not have a profitability motive. It may be
worth consideration of looking at the Charitable Trust model of
operation (ie The National Trust).
11. We wish to see the voluntary sector
and our society in particular continue to work in harmony with
the management of BW but we believe that there needs to be some
minor redirections from the top level. Much of the working relationship
is built up between local groups and the waterways at regional
level and this association makes a significant positive contribution
to the waterways in general. Good communication, and open access
to management is the way we have found to be the way to progress
and we do not want to see this jeopardised in any way as this
would compromise the input of the volunteer within our area. The
maintaining of working partners is the only way an organisation
like BW can survive and this relationship must be nurtured and
developed.
12. Blame is not the way to resolve or improve
the issues raised about funding and cuts to funding but it is
a very hard pill to swallow when the cause of the cuts is the
malfunction of another department within DEFRA and where the person
responsible is suspended on full pay and further rewarded with
a financial bonus for his inefficiency. There needs to be a greater
understanding of BW and of the modus operandi of the waterways;
a better spread of income from other sources could go a long way
to removing what is becoming an almost annual event of cuts, reviews
and reorganisation. Stability is required to enable the continuation
of works to catch up on existing backlogs (some of which are safety
related), promote a steady input to continued restoration and
a better contingency for funding emergency situations (which will
continue to happen with a 200 year old system). To continue the
"practice" of under funding is to destroy an essential
part of the National Heritage.
We offer these comments to the committee for
their consideration and deliberation.
Addendum
The Shropshire Union Canal Society was formed
in 1968 primarily to progress restoration of the Montgomery Canal
and to enhance and improve user facilities on the other canals
of the Shropshire Union System.
The area of remit covers 158 miles of canal
all of which is under one region of BW Management
The society has 700 members.
Shropshire Union Canal Society
March 2008
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